When Did Quaker Abolitionists Start To Free Slaves In The Underground Railroad? (The answer is found)

The Quaker campaign to end slavery can be traced back to the late 1600s, and many played a pivotal role in the Underground Railroad. In 1776, Quakers were prohibited from owning slaves, and 14 years later they petitioned the U.S. Congress for the abolition of slavery.

Did the Quakers help in the Underground Railroad?

Quakers played a huge role in the formation of the Underground Railroad, with George Washington complaining as early as 1786 that a “society of Quakers, formed for such purposes, have attempted to liberate ” a neighbor’s slave.

How did Quakers help to free slaves?

Quakers were among the first white people to denounce slavery in the American colonies and Europe, and the Society of Friends became the first organization to take a collective stand against both slavery and the slave trade, later spearheading the international and ecumenical campaigns against slavery.

Was Thomas Clarkson a Quaker?

The twelve founding members included nine Quakers, and three pioneering Anglicans: Clarkson, Granville Sharp, and Philip Sansom. They were sympathetic to the religious revival that had predominantly nonconformist origins, but which sought wider non-denominational support for a “Great Awakening” amongst believers.

What year did the Underground Railroad begin and end?

system used by abolitionists between 1800-1865 to help enslaved African Americans escape to free states.

How many slaves did the Quakers free?

Newby and ten other Quaker slaveholders then freed forty slaves —a direct violation of the 1741 law. Even though North Carolina was helping its new nation fight the American Revolution in 1776, the legislature took notice of the Quaker action.

Who were the Quakers What did they believe?

Quakers believe that there is something of God in everybody and that each human being is of unique worth. This is why Quakers value all people equally, and oppose anything that may harm or threaten them. Quakers seek religious truth in inner experience, and place great reliance on conscience as the basis of morality.

What is am I not a man and a brother?

‘Am I not a man and a brother?’ Josiah Wedgwood’s image of an enslaved African, kneeling, manacled hands outstretched, with the title ‘Am I not a man and a brother’, is viewed as the symbol of the struggle for abolition and eventual emancipation.

Who was Olaudah Equiano and what did he do?

An enslaved man who bought his freedom and wrote compellingly about his experiences, Olaudah Equiano (c. 1745–1797) was an extraordinary man who became a prominent figure associated with the campaign to abolish the slave trade. Equiano was born in what is now Nigeria and sold into slavery aged 11.

Who was Annie Besant and how did she oppose white slavery?

On 23rd June 1888, Annie Besant, a campaigner for women’s welfare and rights, published an article called ‘White Slavery in London’. She revealed the terrible conditions and poor wages suffered by the match girls employed at the Bryant and May factory in the east end of London.

What year is Underground Railroad set in?

The Underground Railroad takes place around 1850, the year of the Fugitive Slave Act’s passage. It makes explicit mention of the draconian legislation, which sought to ensnare runaways who’d settled in free states and inflict harsh punishments on those who assisted escapees.

Does the Underground Railroad still exist?

It includes four buildings, two of which were used by Harriet Tubman. Ashtabula County had over thirty known Underground Railroad stations, or safehouses, and many more conductors. Nearly two-thirds of those sites still stand today.

Did the Underground Railroad really exist?

( Actual underground railroads did not exist until 1863.) According to John Rankin, “It was so called because they who took passage on it disappeared from public view as really as if they had gone into the ground. After the fugitive slaves entered a depot on that road no trace of them could be found.

Quaker Activism

The Underground Railroad, by William Still (Chicago, Johnson Publishing Company, 1970) David W. Blight, Passages to Freedom: The Underground Railroad in History and Memory (Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books in association with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 2004); J. Blaine Hudson, Encyclopedia of the Underground Railroad (Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, 2006); David W. Blight, Passages to Freedom: The Underground Railroad in History and Memory (Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books in association with the

Underground Railroad

See how abolitionists in the United States, like as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Thomas Garrett, assisted enslaved people in their attempts to escape to freedom. Learn about the abolitionist movement in the United States, as well as the importance of the Underground Railroad in this historical period. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. is a publishing company that publishes encyclopedias. View all of the videos related to this topic. When escaped slaves from the South were secretly assisted by sympathetic Northerners, in defiance of the Fugitive Slave Acts, to reach safe havens in the North or Canada, this was referred to as the Underground Railroad in the United States.

Even though it was neither underground nor a railroad, it was given this name because its actions had to be carried out in secret, either via the use of darkness or disguise, and because railroad words were employed in relation to the system’s operation.

In all directions, the network of channels stretched over 14 northern states and into “the promised land” of Canada, where fugitive-slave hunters were unable to track them down or capture them.

Harriet Beecher Stowe, best known for her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, obtained firsthand experience of escaped slaves via her association with the Underground Railroad in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she lived for a time during the Civil War.

The existence of the Underground Railroad, despite the fact that it was only a small minority of Northerners who took part in it, did much to arouse Northern sympathy for the plight of slaves during the antebellum period, while also convincing many Southerners that the North as a whole would never peacefully allow the institution of slavery to remain unchallenged.

When was the first time a sitting president of the United States appeared on television? Return to the past for the really American responses. Amy Tikkanen has made the most current revisions and updates to this page.

Underground Railroad

When describing a network of meeting spots, hidden routes, passages, and safehouses used by slaves in the United States to escape slave-holding states and seek refuge in northern states and Canada, the Underground Railroad was referred to as the Underground Railroad (UR). The underground railroad, which was established in the early 1800s and sponsored by persons active in the Abolitionist Movement, assisted thousands of slaves in their attempts to escape bondage. Between 1810 and 1850, it is estimated that 100,000 slaves escaped from bondage in the southern United States.

Facts, information and articles about the Underground Railroad

Aproximate year of birth: 1780

Ended

The beginnings of the American Civil War occurred around the year 1862.

Slaves Freed

Estimates range between 6,000 and 10,000.

Prominent Figures

Harriet Tubman is a historical figure. William Still is a well-known author and poet. Levi Coffin is a fictional character created by author Levi Coffin. John Fairfield is a well-known author.

The Beginnings Of the Underground Railroad

Even before the nineteenth century, it appears that a mechanism to assist runaways existed. In 1786, George Washington expressed dissatisfaction with the assistance provided to one of his escaped slaves by “a organization of Quakers, founded for such purposes.” The Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers as they are more officially known, were among the first abolitionist organizations to emerge. Their influence may have played a role in Pennsylvania becoming the first state to abolish slavery, which was home to a large number of Quakers.

In recognition of his contributions, Levi is often referred to as the “president of the Underground Railroad.” In Fountain City, Ohio, on Ohio’s western border, the eight-room Indiana home they bought and used as a “station” before they came to Cincinnati has been preserved and is now a National Historic Landmark.

The Underground Railroad Gets Its Name

Owen Brown, the father of radical abolitionist John Brown, was a member of the Underground Railroad in the state of New York during the Civil War. An unconfirmed narrative suggests that “Mammy Sally” designated the house where Abraham Lincoln’s future wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, grew up and served as a safe house where fugitives could receive food, but the account is doubtful. Routes of the Underground Railroad It was not until the early 1830s that the phrase “Underground Railroad” was first used.

Fugitives going by water or on genuine trains were occasionally provided with clothing so that they wouldn’t give themselves away by wearing their worn-out job attire.

Many of them continued on to Canada, where they could not be lawfully reclaimed by their rightful owners.

The slave or slaves were forced to flee from their masters, which was frequently done at night. It was imperative that the runaways maintain their eyes on the North Star at all times; only by keeping that star in front of them could they be certain that they were on their trip north.

Conductors On The Railroad

A “conductor,” who pretended to be a slave, would sometimes accompany fugitives to a plantation in order to lead them on their journey. Harriet Tubman, a former slave who traveled to slave states 19 times and liberated more than 300 people, is one of the most well-known “conductors.” She used her shotgun to threaten death to any captives who lost heart and sought to return to slavery. The Underground Railroad’s operators faced their own set of risks as well. If someone living in the North was convicted of assisting fugitives in their escape, he or she could face fines of hundreds or even thousands of dollars, which was a significant sum at the time; however, in areas where abolitionism was strong, the “secret” railroad was openly operated, and no one was arrested.

His position as the most significant commander of the Underground Railroad in and around Albany grew as time went on.

However, in previous times of American history, the phrase “vigilance committee” generally refers to citizen organizations that took the law into their own hands, prosecuting and hanging those suspected of crimes when there was no local government or when they considered the local authority was corrupt or weak.

White males who were found assisting slaves in their escape were subjected to heavier punishments than white women, but both were likely to face at the very least incarceration.

The Civil War On The Horizon

Events such as the Missouri Compromise and the Dred Scott decision compelled more anti-slavery activists to take an active part in the effort to liberate slaves in the United States. After Abraham Lincoln was elected president, Southern states began to secede in December 1860, putting an end to the Union’s hopes of achieving independence from the United States. Abolitionist newspapers and even some loud abolitionists warned against giving the remaining Southern states an excuse to separate. Lucia Bagbe (later known as Sara Lucy Bagby Johnson) is considered to be the final slave who was returned to bondage as a result of the Fugitive Slave Law.

Her owner hunted her down and arrested her in December 1860.

Even the Cleveland Leader, a Republican weekly that was traditionally anti-slavery and pro-the Fugitive Slave Legislation, warned its readers that allowing the law to run its course “may be oil thrown upon the seas of our nation’s difficulties,” according to the newspaper.

Following her capture, Lucy was carried back to Ohio County, Virginia, and punished, but she was released at some time when Union soldiers took control of the region. In her honor, a Grand Jubilee was celebrated on May 6, 1863, in the city of Cleveland.

The Reverse Underground Railroad

A “reverse Underground Railroad” arose in the northern states surrounding the Ohio River during the Civil War. The black men and women of those states, whether or not they had previously been slaves, were occasionally kidnapped and concealed in homes, barns, and other structures until they could be transported to the South and sold as slaves.

Underground Railroad – Ohio History Central

According to Ohio History Central This snapshot depicts the “Freedom Stairway,” which consists of one hundred stairs going from the Ohio River to the John Rankin House in Ripley, which served as a station on the Underground Railroad during the Civil War. Presbyterian clergyman and educator John Rankin (1793-1886) spent most of his time working for the abolitionist anti-slavery struggle. The home features various secret rooms, some of which were used to hide freedom fighters. An illuminated sign was erected in front of the home to signal that it was safe for anyone seeking freedom to approach it.

An underground railroad system of safe homes and hiding places that assisted freedom seekers on their journeys to freedom in Canada, Mexico, and other countries outside of the United States was known as the Underground Railroad (UR).
Although it is unknown when the Underground Railroad had its start, members of the Society of Friends, often known as the Quakers, were actively supporting freedom seekers as early as the 1780s, according to historical records.
As early as the late 1700s, slavery was outlawed in the vast majority of Northern states.
African Americans were forced to flee the United States in order to genuinely achieve their freedom.
Despite the fact that slavery was outlawed in Ohio, some individuals were still opposed to the abolition of the institution.
Many of these individuals were adamantly opposed to the Underground Railroad.
Other people attempted to restore freedom seekers to their rightful owners in the aim of receiving prizes for their efforts.

Over three thousand slaves were rescued from their captors and granted freedom in Canada thanks to the efforts of Levi Coffin, a Cincinnati man who lived in the late 1840s and early 1850s.

His house was perched on a three hundred-foot-high hill with a panoramic view of the Ohio River.

He gave the freedom seekers with sanctuary and kept them hidden until it was safe for them to proceed farther north in their quest for independence.

These individuals, as well as a large number of others, put their lives in danger to aid African Americans in their journey to freedom.

They typically chose to live in communities where there were other African Americans.

A total of eight communities along the Lake Erie shoreline served as embarkation locations for the freedom seekers’ journey to Canada, including Ashtabula, Painesville, Cleveland, Sandusky, Toledo, Huron, Lorain, Conneaut, and Conneaut.

It is still unknown exactly how the Underground Railroad came to be known by that moniker.

In 1831, a freedom seeker called Tice Davids fled from his slave owners in Kentucky, where he had been held since birth.

Davids had arrived at the coast only a few minutes before him. Following the arrival of his boat, the holder was unable to locate Davids and concluded that he “must have gone off on a subterranean path.”

Quaker Abolitionists

Mark’s Contribution Andrew Huddle’s official website With permission from the Tar Heel Junior Historian, this article has been reprinted. The fall of 1996. NC Museum of History, Tar Heel Junior Historian Association, Tar Heel Junior Historian Association Anyone who had the courage to preach an abolitionist gospel in the South during the antebellum period would have faced serious consequences. After all was said and done, the Reverend Adam Crooks, a young Wesleyan Methodist missionary, arrived in North Carolina during the later months of 1847 to serve to a small circuit of antislavery churches.

Crooks was surprised to discover a surprising number of individuals who shared his thoughts about the “peculiar institution” after arriving in Jamestown, Guilford County.

Crooks provided the following unique perspective in one of his first comments to theTrue Wesleyan, the journal of his denomination: “There is far more antislavery fervor in this region of North Carolina than I had anticipated.” This is in large part due to the efforts of the Society of Friends.

It is also interesting that I am mistaken for a Quaker when I am free to go anywhere I like.
and even the Friends themselves assumed I was one of them.
During the time of Crooks’s mission, Quakerism in North Carolina was on the decline.
By the late 1840s, the denomination had suffered greatly as a result of this protracted fight.
Others changed their religious affiliations entirely.

Quakers and the Issue of Slavery

The fact that North Carolina’s Quakers did not have a disagreement on slavery during the early years is noteworthy. In reality, antislavery feeling among Quakers developed gradually over a long period of time. Slavery was not banned by Quaker philosophy, despite the fact that issues of conscience periodically arose in the community. A New Jersey Quaker called John Woolman, on the other hand, took up the antislavery cause in the 1750s and went throughout the country to preach against the ills of slavery.

Woolman thought that slavery fostered a callousness toward humanity that was demeaning to both the slaveholder and the captive, and he advised slaveholders to cease their relationship with slavery as soon as possible.

Many of these Quakers came with a strong antipathy of slavery in their hearts.

Local gatherings were increasingly tense as a result of the buying and selling of persons.

It may come as a surprise to learn that the most important issue confronting North Carolina Friends was the manumission, or freeing, of their own slaves.

Quaker Dilemma: Manumission in North Carolina

It was not until 1741 that a colonial ordinance was passed prohibiting the manumission of slaves, save as a prize for excellent, or meritorious, service to the government. County courts had the ability to determine the merits of service in each individual instance, and if freedom was granted, freed slaves were given six months to leave the state before they were forced to return. In exchange for their service in the American Revolution, many former slaves were emancipated. As the topic of slavery became more contentious, many Quaker slaveholders found themselves in a difficult situation.

However, it was against the law for them to release their slaves just because they wished to or because they believed they should.
Newby’s petition triggered a spirited discussion that returned in meetings for over two years after it was first presented to the board.
When Newby and 10 other Quaker slaveholders realized they were in breach of the 1741 statute, they released forty slaves.
Officials were outraged and accused the Quakers of seeking to instigate a slave revolt in order to gain control of the country.
This action marked the beginning of a lengthy series of legal fights between the state of North Carolina and the Quaker community in the state.

Quaker Efforts at Freeing Slaves

It was not until 1741 that a colonial ordinance was passed prohibiting the manumission of slaves, save as a reward for great, or meritorious, service to the country. County courts had the ability to determine the merits of service in each individual instance, and if freedom was granted, liberated slaves were given six months to leave the state before being re-enslaved elsewhere. While participating in the American Revolution, many enslaved people gained freedom. Several Quaker slaveholders found themselves in an untenable situation as the slavery question became more contentious.

However, it was against the law for them to release their slaves just because they want to or believed they should.
Following the introduction of Newby’s petition, an ensuing heated argument arose in meetings for over two years.
The next year, Newby and 10 other Quaker slaveholders liberated forty slaves, in clear violation of the 1741 statute.
Angry officials accused the Quakers of seeking to instigate a slave uprising, which they denounced.

This action marked the beginning of a lengthy series of legal fights between the state of North Carolina and the Quakers of North Carolina. They lasted far into the nineteenth century and caused significant suffering among the Society of Friends (Quakers).

The Official Web Site for The State of New Jersey

In honor of Moses, the biblical hero who rescued the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, Harriet Tubman became known as “Moses,” and she became the most famous conductor of the Underground Railroad during her lifetime. Tubman was born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland, but escaped to Pennsylvania in 1849, when the state of Maryland abolished slavery. Following her own emancipation from slavery, this abolitionist returned to Maryland and saved members of her own family as well as other people.

Despite the fact that she repeatedly varied the paths she took to the North, Ms.
This was crucial for a couple of different reasons.
As a result, it is possible that their owners will not detect their missing until Monday morning.
These two realities frequently provided Tubman and the escapees with enough time to gain a head start on their journey to their final goal in the free states of America.
She eventually settled in South Carolina throughout the conflict.
Although she was never compensated for her work, she did get an official citation for her contribution to the war effort.

William Still

William Still was born a free man in Burlington County, New Jersey, and rose through the ranks to become a member of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society and the director of the General Vigilance Committee of the city of Philadelphia. He was in charge of the committee’s money, which were utilized to aid Harriet Tubman’s rescue operations. He died in the same year. Still, a network of safe houses and contacts was formed that stretched from the upper South all the way to Canada. Still also penned William Still’s Underground Railroad, an abolitionist narrative of the liberation network in which he championed the hundreds of heroic fugitives he encountered as they made their way to the United States’ northern frontier.

Still had meant to use the information he had obtained from his interviews to aid other runaway slaves in locating their families, but he ultimately opted to publish the thorough information he had gathered in a book.

This prosperous businessman published William Still’s Underground Railroad for the first time in 1873, ensuring that the book had a broad distribution by recruiting agents to sell it in key towns around the country.

NJ Celebrates the Underground Railroad

Still, who was born a free man in Burlington County, New Jersey, became a member of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society and director of the Philadelphia-based General Vigilance Committee. As the committee’s financial manager, he was in charge of allocating funds that were used to aid Harriet Tubman in her rescue attempts. Still, a network of safe houses and connections was formed that stretched from the upper South all the way to the Canadian border. Still also penned William Still’s Underground Railroad, an abolitionist narrative of the liberation network in which he championed the hundreds of heroic fugitives he encountered as they made their way to the United States’ northern border.

The thorough information Still had obtained from his interviews was supposed to be used in order to aid other runaway slaves in locating their family members; but, he opted to publish the book instead.

The Underground Railroad

At the time of slavery, the Underground Railroad was a network of routes, locations, and individuals that assisted enslaved persons in the American South in their attempts to flee to freedom in the northern states. Subjects History of the United States, Social StudiesImage

Home of Levi Coffin

Levi Coffin’s residence in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he lived as an American Quaker and abolitionist. This was a station on the Underground Railroad, a network of routes, locations, and individuals that assisted enslaved persons in escaping to the North during the Civil War. Cincinnati Museum Center provided the photography. “> During the age of slavery, the Underground Railroad was a network of routes, locations, and individuals that assisted enslaved persons in the American South in escaping to the North, according to the Underground Railroad Museum.

Although it was not a real railroad, it fulfilled the same function as one: it carried passengers across large distances.

The people who worked for the Underground Railroad were driven by a passion for justice and a desire to see slavery abolished—a drive that was so strong that they risked their lives and jeopardized their own freedom in order to assist enslaved people in escaping from bondage and staying safe while traveling the Underground Railroad.

As the network expanded, the railroad metaphor became more prevalent.
In recent years, academic research has revealed that the vast majority of persons who engaged in the Underground Railroad did it on their own, rather than as part of a larger organization.
According to historical tales of the railroad, conductors frequently pretended to be enslaved persons in order to smuggle runaways out of plantation prisons and train stations.
Often, the conductors and passengers traveled 16–19 kilometers (10–20 miles) between each safehouse stop, which was a long distance in this day and age.
Patrols on the lookout for enslaved persons were usually on their tails, chasing them down.
Historians who study the railroad, on the other hand, find it difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction.
Eric Foner is one of the historians that belongs to this group.
Despite this, the Underground Railroad was at the center of the abolitionist struggle during the nineteenth century.
Levi Coffin’s residence in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he lived as an American Quaker and abolitionist.
Cincinnati Museum Center provided the photography.
Person who is owned by another person or group of people is referred to as an enslaved person.

Slavery is a noun that refers to the act of owning another human being or being owned by another human being (also known as servitude). Abolitionists utilized this nounsystem between 1800 and 1865 to aid enslaved African Americans in their attempts to flee to free states.

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Abolition, Anti-Slavery Movements, and the Rise of the Sectional Controversy – The African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship

During the first part of the nineteenth century, black and white abolitionists joined forces to launch a multiracial campaign against slavery. Their efforts proved to be tremendously fruitful in the long run. Slavery was brought to public notice by abolitionists, who made it harder to ignore. They exacerbated a split that had threatened to sever the nation’s cohesiveness as early as the Constitutional Convention and had become worse since then. Despite the fact that some Quakers were slaveholders, members of that religious group were among the first to express opposition to the African slave trade, the practice of holding captives in a state of perpetual bondage, and the practice of separating enslaved family members by selling them to different masters.

In addition to sending petitions to Congress with thousands of signatures, these organizations organized abolition meetings and conferences, boycotted things created with slave labor, printed mountains of material, and delivered countless speeches in support of their cause.

Despite the fact that black and white abolitionists frequently collaborated, by the 1840s, their philosophical and methodological perspectives were divergent.

Anti-Slavery Activists

Slavery was a “notorious immorality” in the eyes of Benjamin Lay, a Quaker who wrote this book in 1737 to those who “pretend to lay claim to the pure and holy Christian faith,” as Lay describes it. Despite the fact that some Quakers owned slaves, no Christian body was more vociferous in its opposition to slavery from the seventeenth century until its abolition.

petitions signed by Quakers in support of the emancipation of African Americans were presented to colonial legislatures and then to Congress in the United States of America. Make a note of this item: /

Plea for the Suppression of the Slave Trade

Anthony Benezet, a Quaker of French Huguenot heritage, made an impassioned case for the abolition of the slave trade, pointing out that if purchasers did not want slaves, the supply of slaves would be depleted. “There would be no trade without consumers,” he said, “and as a result, every purchaser, in so far as he fosters the transaction, becomes a co-conspirator in the sin of the trade.” He argued that guilt existed on both sides of the Atlantic, and that this was true. There are Africans, he claimed, “who will sell their own children, relatives, or neighbors for a few hundred dollars.” Benezet also used the biblical adage, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” as justification for putting a stop to slavery in the United States.

Anthony Benezet’s Observations on the Enslavement, Importation, and Purchase of Negroes is a collection of observations on the enslavement, importation, and purchase of negroes.

The American Imprints Collection is housed in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress (3–1), and it contains rare books and special collections.

The Conflict Between Christianity and Slavery

Jonathan Edwards, a Connecticut theologian born in 1745, repeats Benezet’s use of the Golden Rule, as well as the natural rights arguments of the Revolutionary age, to support the abolition of slavery. Edwards was born in Connecticut. His lecture to a local anti-slavery organization in 1791 is reproduced in this printed version, in which he highlights the progress made toward abolition in the North and forecasts that, by watchful efforts, slavery will be eradicated within fifty years. Jonathan Edwards, D.D., is a D.D.

Thomas and Samuel Green published a book in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1791.

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Sojourner Truth

Abolition of slavery was justified by the employment of the Golden Rule and natural rights arguments throughout the Revolutionary Era, according to Connecticut theologian Jonathan Edwards, who was born in 1745. His lecture to a local anti-slavery club in 1791 is included here in its entirety. In it, he observes the progress made toward abolition in the North and forecasts that slavery will be eradicated within fifty years as a result of vigilant labor. Jeremy Edwards (D.D.) is a minister in the Diocese of Lancaster.

Thomas and Samuel Green published a book in New Haven, Connecticut in 1791. The Rare Book and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress (3–2) is home to a variety of rare books and special collections. This item should be bookmarked: /

Woman to Woman

Ye wives and ye mothers, your influence extends—Ye sisters and ye children, the weak are protected—The strong links are broken for one offense alone, that of possessing a color that is less fair than your own, that of possessing a color that is less fair than your own. Abolitionists recognized the importance of visual representations in mobilizing support for the abolitionist cause. Women of color were more active as speakers, petitioners, and meeting organizers in the 1830s. Variations of this female supplicant theme, pleading for inter-racial sisterhood, appeared in newspapers, broadsides, and handcraft products sold at fund-raising fairs.

Harriet Tubman—the Moses of Her People

The following quotation, which echoes Patrick Henry, is taken from a biography of Harriet Tubman, an underground train conductor, and it reads as follows: Harriet had been left alone for the first time,. She turned her face toward the north, fixed her gaze on the guiding star, and pledged her allegiance to the Lord as she set off on her long, lonely trip once more. She thought that she had a right to either liberty or death, and that these were the only two things she had. In the years after her own escape, Tubman returned to the South nineteen times, rescuing more than three hundred fugitives, among them her own elderly parents.

Anthony, who was abolitionist and suffragist at the same time.

Increasing Tide of Anti-slavery Organizations

Sixty abolitionist leaders from 10 states gathered in Philadelphia in 1833 to form a national organization dedicated to bringing about the immediate liberation of all slaves in the United States. An election was held for executives, and the American Anti-Slavery Society established a constitution and a statement of principles. The Declaration of Liberation, which was drafted by William Lloyd Garrison, called on its signatories to strive for emancipation by nonviolent deeds of “moral suasion,” or “the overcoming of prejudice by the force of love.” In addition to holding public lectures and publishing, the group supported civil disobedience as well as a boycott of cotton and other slave-manufactured items.

William Lloyd Garrison—Abolitionist Strategies

In 1805, the young white abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison was born in New York City. He had a special affection for poetry, which he considered was “naturally and intuitively on the side of liberty.” The employment of poetry as a medium for anti-slavery emotions was a signature move for him. Sonnets and Other Poems, a collection of Garrison’s work, was published in 1845. (1843). During the 1840s, abolitionist groups utilized music to enliven their meetings and get people excited about their cause.

With six stanzas to the music of “Auld Lang Syne,” this song by William Lloyd Garrison is composed to the melody of “Auld Lang Syne.”

“Sonnet to Liberty,” written by William L. Garrison. The manuscript was written on December 14, 1840. “Song of the Abolitionist,” courtesy of the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress (3–19a)
William L. Garrison. The date was November 10, 1841. Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (3–19b)
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (3–19a)

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Popularizing Anti-Slavery Sentiment

After being captured in 1844 off the coast of Florida for attempting to transport slaves belonging to his religious denomination to freedom in the Bahamas, Jonathan Walker, a Massachusetts ship captain born in 1790, was sentenced to prison. He was imprisoned for more than a year and was later branded with the initials “S.S.” which stood for slave thief. American poet John Greenleaf Whittier memorialized Walker’s act in this widely circulated verse: “Then lift that mighty right hand, valiant ploughman of the surf!

Abolitionist Songsters

Attempting to transport slaves who were members of his religious sect to freedom in the Bahamas in 1844, Massachusetts sea captain Jonathan Walker, born in 1790, was caught off the coast of Florida. The letters “S.S.” stood for slave thief, and he was sentenced to more than a year in prison. Abolitionist poet John Greenleaf Whittier honored Walker’s deed in this widely reprinted verse: “Then lift that mighty right hand, gallant ploughman of the surf! Slaves will be saved by the message written on the palm of its branded palm.” Save this item as a favorite by clicking here: /

Abolitionist Songsters

Jonathan Walker, a Massachusetts ship captain born in 1790, was caught off the coast of Florida in 1844 while attempting to transport slaves who were members of his religious sect to freedom in the Bahamas. The initials “S.S.” stood for slave thief, and he was imprisoned for more than a year before being branded with them. Abolitionist poet John Greenleaf Whittier honored Walker’s deed in this often-reprinted verse: “Then lift that mighty right hand, gallant ploughman of the wave! A prophetic message will be delivered through its branded palm: “Salvation to the Slave!” / Make a note of this item:

Suffer the Children

Jonathan Walker, a Massachusetts ship captain born in 1790, was captured off the coast of Florida in 1844 for attempting to transport slaves who were members of his religious sect to freedom in the Bahamas. He was imprisoned for more than a year and was branded with the initials “S.S.” which stood for slave thief. Abolitionist poet John Greenleaf Whittier honored Walker’s deed in this widely reprinted verse: “Then lift that mighty right hand, gallant ploughman of the surf!” Its branded palm will prophesy, ‘Salvation to the Slave!'” This item has been bookmarked: /

Fugitive Slave Law

American poet John Greenleaf Whittier memorialized Walker’s act in this widely circulated verse: “Then lift that mighty right hand, valiant ploughman of the surf! ” A prophetic message will be sent by its branded palm: “Salvation to the Slave!” Make a note of this item: /

Mission to Fugitive Slaves in Canada: Being a Branch of the Operations of the Colonial Church and School Society. 1858–1859: Society’s Offices, 1859. Mission to Fugitive Slaves in Canada: Being a Branch of the Operations of the Colonial Church and School Society. 1858–1859: Society’s Offices, 1859. Pamphlet. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (3–4a)
Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress Mission to Fugitive Slaves in Canada: Being a Branch of the Operations of the Colonial Church and School Society. 1858–1859: Society’s Offices, 1859. Mission to Fugitive Slaves in Canada: Being a Branch of the Operations of the Colonial Church and School Society. 1858–1859: Society’s Offices, 1859. Copyprint. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (3–4a)
Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (3–4b)

Mission to Fugitive Slaves in Canada: Being a Branch of the Operations of the Colonial Church and School Society. 1858–1859: Society’s Offices, 1859. Mission to Fugitive Slaves in Canada: Being a Branch of the Operations of the Colonial Church and School Society. 1858–1859: Society’s Offices, 1859 Pamphlet. Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (3–4a); Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress Mission to Fugitive Slaves in Canada: Being a Branch of the Operations of the Colonial Church and School Society.

Mission to Fugitive Slaves in Canada: Being a Branch of the Operations of the Colonial Church and School Society.

Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (3–4a); Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (3–4b).

The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850

Slave-hunters were given the authority to detain supposed runaway slaves without following due process of law, and anybody who assisted or obstructed the recovery of fugitive slaves was subjected to legal consequences. Because it was frequently assumed that a black person was a slave, the legislation posed a threat to the safety of all blacks, slave and free, and compelled many Northerners to become more stubborn in their support for fleeing slave owners. S. M. Africanus raises objections to this law in both prose and verse, arguing that violation with the law is justified.

Anthony Burns-Capture of A Fugitive Slave

A runaway slave named Anthony Burns was depicted here in the spring of 1854, following his arrest and conviction in Boston under the rules of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. His arrest and prosecution sparked riots and demonstrations among white and black abolitionists and inhabitants of Boston. The photograph is framed with events from his life, including his sale at an auction, his escape from Richmond, Virginia, his capture and incarceration in Boston, and his return to a ship that would bring him to the South, among others.

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Growing Sectionalism

The rising sectionalism that was separating the nation during the late antebellum years is depicted clearly on this political map of the United States, which was first published in 1856 and depicts the state of the nation at the time. This book is intended to portray and compare the geographic areas of free and slave states. It also includes tables of statistics for each of the states from the 1850 census, the results of the 1852 presidential election, the congressional representation of each state, and information on the number of slaves owned by owners, among other things.

Additionally, the map is ornamented with photographs of John C. Fremont and William L. Dayton, who ran for president and vice president, respectively, of the newly founded Republican Party in 1856, which promoted an anti-slavery agenda. Make a note of this item: /

Distribution of Slaves

Despite the fact that the Southern states were collectively known as the “slave states” by the end of the Antebellum Period, this map provides statistical evidence to demonstrate that slaves were not evenly distributed throughout each state or throughout the region as a whole during that time period. Using data from the 1860 census, the map depicts the number of slaves in each county’s population as a percentage of the total population. As well as population and land area, the tables provide information on both Southern and Northern states, and an inset map depicts the scope of cotton, rice, and sugar crops.

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Militant Abolition

His struggle against slavery came to an end in October 1859, more than twenty years after the militant abolitionist John Brown had dedicated his life to the elimination of slavery. His effort to take the government armory at Harpers Ferry in western Virginia ended in failure. As part of his plan, he wanted to seize weapons from the armory and arm the slaves, who would then revolt against their owners and establish a free state for themselves. Although he had been found guilty of treason and sentenced to death, Brown maintained to the last that his only goal was to liberate the slaves, not to instigate an uprising against the government.

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Frederick Douglass on John Brown

His struggle against slavery came to an end in October 1859, more than twenty years after the fierce abolitionist John Brown had dedicated his life to the elimination of slavery. His effort to take the government armory at Harpers Ferry, in western Virginia, was disastrous. He wanted to seize the weapons from the armory and arm the slaves, who he believed would then overthrow their owners and establish a free state for themselves in their own right. Although he had been found guilty of treason and sentenced to death, Brown maintained to the last that his only goal was to liberate the slaves, not to inspire revolt against the government.

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In October 1859, more than twenty years after John Brown had dedicated his life to the abolition of slavery, his campaign came to an end with his failed effort to take the government armory at Harpers Ferry, in western Virginia. He wanted to seize the weapons from the armory and arm the slaves, who would then overthrow their owners and build a free state for themselves. Brown, who was found guilty of treason and condemned to death, maintained to the very end that his only goal was to free the slaves, not to inspire revolt. His fervor, valor, and readiness to die for the slaves made him a martyr and a foreboding sign of the bloodshed that would soon engulf the country during the American Civil War (the Civil War). This item has been bookmarked: /

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“The Book That Made This Great War”

Harriet Beecher Stowe is best known as the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, her first novel, which was originally published as a serial in 1851 and then as a book in 1852. Harriet Beecher Stowe was born in 1818 in New York City. Southerners were enraged by this book. Stowe received immediate recognition for her portrayal of the cruelties of slavery, notably the separation of family members, in this novel. Following the release of her book, Stowe went around the United States and Europe, advocating for the abolition of slavery.

Her account of meeting President Lincoln included his statement, “So you’re the tiny woman who authored the book that started this great war,” which she recorded. Make a note of this item: /

Uncle Tom’s Cabin—Theatrical Productions

This poster for a performance of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, directed by Tom Dailey and George W. Goodhart, displays the Garden City Quartette and the characters from the story. The novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe and initially published as a serial in 1851, has been the subject of several theatrical plays around the United States since its publication. Despite the fact that the majority of the key performers were generally white, persons of color were occasionally included in the cast.

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Did the Quakers help in the Underground Railroad?

How did Quakers help to free slaves?

Was Thomas Clarkson a Quaker?

What year did the Underground Railroad begin and end?

How many slaves did the Quakers free?

Who were the Quakers What did they believe?

What is am I not a man and a brother?

Who was Olaudah Equiano and what did he do?

Who was Annie Besant and how did she oppose white slavery?

What year is Underground Railroad set in?

Does the Underground Railroad still exist?

Did the Underground Railroad really exist?

Quaker Activism

Underground Railroad

Underground Railroad

Facts, information and articles about the Underground Railroad

Ended

Slaves Freed

Prominent Figures

Related Reading:

The Beginnings Of the Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad Gets Its Name

Conductors On The Railroad

The Civil War On The Horizon

The Reverse Underground Railroad

Underground Railroad – Ohio History Central

See Also

Quaker Abolitionists

Quakers and the Issue of Slavery

Quaker Dilemma: Manumission in North Carolina

Quaker Efforts at Freeing Slaves

The Official Web Site for The State of New Jersey

William Still

NJ Celebrates the Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad

Home of Levi Coffin

Media Credits

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Author

Production Managers

Program Specialists

Last Updated

Media

Text

Interactives

Abolition, Anti-Slavery Movements, and the Rise of the Sectional Controversy – The African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship

Anti-Slavery Activists

Plea for the Suppression of the Slave Trade

The Conflict Between Christianity and Slavery

Sojourner Truth

Woman to Woman

Harriet Tubman—the Moses of Her People

Increasing Tide of Anti-slavery Organizations

William Lloyd Garrison—Abolitionist Strategies

Popularizing Anti-Slavery Sentiment

Abolitionist Songsters

Abolitionist Songsters

Suffer the Children

Fugitive Slave Law

The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850

Anthony Burns-Capture of A Fugitive Slave

Growing Sectionalism

Distribution of Slaves

Militant Abolition

Frederick Douglass on John Brown

“The Book That Made This Great War”

Uncle Tom’s Cabin—Theatrical Productions

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